In total 45,771 volunteers from across the UK joined Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) at community clean events on beaches, rivers and mountains in the week of the 6th – 14thApril.
Surfers Against Sewage say the ‘Attenborough effect’ had led to a 22% increase in number of volunteers, up from 35,830 at the same time in 2018.
Volunteers removed 70,799.31kg of plastic pollution, the equivalent of 17,700 full bin bags.
752 cleans were organised across the UK including 72 school organised cleans that involved 3,123 pupils and 57 cleans organised by Duke of Edinburgh youth participants.
In total 365,756 volunteer hours were donated across the UK to keep our environment clean of plastic pollution.
Locations of cleans: Furthest North – Ronas Voe Beach, Shetland Furthest South – Le Braye, Jersey Furthest East – Lowestoft, East Anglia Furthest West –Enniskillen Island, Northern Ireland Most Rural – Arnol, Outer Hebrides Most Urban – Royal Docks, London
Following on from a winter of storms battering the coastline of the British Isles, most recently Storm Gareth, and the swathes of plastic pollution left in their wake, Surfers Against Sewage’s army of clean volunteers have descended on the beaches, rivers, mountain trails and streets of the UKfor the biggest community beach clean in UK history.
The week of the 6– 14 April saw SAS’s biggest ever Big Spring Beach Clean: Summit To Sea take place. From beach fronts to mountain tops, rivers to streets 45,771 people turned out to protect their environment and stop plastic from polluting our oceans. Volunteers removed 70,799.31kg of plastic pollution, the equivalent of 17,700 full bin bags.
“This is the Attenborough effect in action, we are witnessing an incredible community response to plastic pollution on our beaches, rivers and green spaces across the UK. For so many people to have given up their time and joined a clean really shows the current attitude towards environmental protection.” – Jack Middleton, SAS Community Manager
“Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation and Surfers Against Sewage are passionate about tackling the scourge of plastic pollution head-on and we know that momentum for action is building in communities throughout the UK. We’re very proud to be part of this year’s campaign and have seen tremendous interest and support from Iceland colleagues in all parts of the country. The fact that over 45,000 volunteers have taken part nationwide is very encouraging and a testament to how much this issue matters to our communities.” – Richard Walker, Trustee of theIceland Foods Charitable Foundation
The beach clean series was organised by Surfers Against Sewage and supported by partners; Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, People’s Postcode Lottery and Hydro Flask alongside Community Partners; British Canoeing, British Canoe Foundation, Surfing England, The Outdoor Swimming Society, The British Mountaineering Council and The Wave Project.
The Scottish National Surfing Championships 2019 took place on Easter Weekend in Caithness under fantastic sunshine. This year the event’s main supporters were EventScotland, the Highland Council and the Caithness Collection hotels. This year the event was officially opened by European Surfing Federation president Huw John.
59 competitors participated in what was one of the best ever Scottish Surfing Federation events ever ran with thousands of spectators making it down to see the action over the weekend and enjoy the live and online scoring using the Refresh system, 4-man priority, heat updates and music pumping from the Red Bull event vehicle as well as Red Bull samples being handed out by the Red Bull wings team.
Day 1
The event commenced on Friday the 19th of April at Sinclairs bay on Caithness’ East facing coast and junior and longboard rounds were completed. Finals of the U14, U16 and U18 Girls divisions took place in the afternoon in waist to chest high surf with light onshore winds.
Northcore u16s
Ben Larg retained his U16s crown with a nail biting final where him and Craig McLachlan exchanged blows. Ben got off to a solid start controlling the heat with a combination of snaps as Craig looked nervous in the opening minutes. But Craig would claw his way back into contention with a big layback move to put the pressure on. Ben beat Craig by 0.24pts with an 11.57pts heat total and was chaired up the beach by Tiree Surf Club members.
1. Ben Larg (TSC)
2. Craig McLachlan (NSSC)
3. Hayden Peace (LSC)
4. Luca Baltrunas (MFSR)
Narosa u14s
Craig McLachlan took the victory in the Narosa U14s division in emphatic style with a 16.16pts heat total in his semi final posting one excellent score and another near exellent then a 12.24pts heat total in the final. Ben Kobedza did well to give Craig a run for his money with an 8.54pts heat total.
1. Craig McLachlan (NSSC)
2. Ben Kobedza (MFSR)
3. Luca Baltrunas (MFSR)
4. Robyn Larg (TSC)
Blackhouse Watersports U18 Girls
A tight battle also ensued in the U18 girls division this time between Tiree Surf Club’s Robyn Larg and eventual winner Natalie Kobedza with a close first exchange as each girl posted a high 3 but Natalie’s second wave, a 6pt ride, couldn’t be matched by runner up Robyn or either of the North Shore Surf Club girls who were both competing in their first nationals.
Day 2 was a lay-day due to lack of surf but also as the forecast for the following day looked very promising contest director Chris Clarke decided to call the event off for the day. That evening competitors, members and spectators were invited to a fundraising event in the Pentland Hotel Thurso where Malcolm Anderson premiered his new video ‘Sleepy Hollows’ followed by live music by Donald and Kerry Peace, a raffle prize draw and presentations were done for the completed divisions presented by European Surfing Federation president Huw John and ex British & European Ladies Champion Linda Sharp.
Day 3
An early call to start on remaining competition at Brims Ness was made and first in the water at the Cove were the U18 Boys semi finals followed by rounds of the Mens Open Division in absolutely pumping surf at the Bowl. The sun came out and the surf only improved as the day went on and the entire competition and finals were concluded.
Staunch Longboards
After commencing early rounds at Sinclairs bay, 2 days before, the Longboarders were itching to get underway with their final which took place at the Cove – the smaller less intimidating brother of the bowl which allowed for a steep critical drop followed by some traditional longboarding on the 9ft + boards. Eventual winner would be Malcolm Findlay who had the stiffest competition ever with an on form Chris Clarke who was last year’s winner and has been training hard on his new equipment which was evident for spectators. Malcolm and Chris both showed off their combination of moves new and old and Jamie Marshall had also been on form in earlier rounds to make it to the final ahead of Frazer Reid.
Mark Cameron dominated the division in what seemed like revenge after Craig Sutherland pipped him to the Masters title last year but also knocked Cameron out in the early stages of the open division in 2018. But this year there was to be no stopping Cameron as he blew his Masters opponents out of the water with a commanding victory and a 12.93pts heat total, second place was Sutherland with a 5.86. Well done to James Sutherland and Dominic Duquemin making their first ever Masters finals at the Scottish Nationals.
1. Mark Cameron (BSC)
2. Craig Sutherland (MFSR)
3. James Sutherland (MFSR)
4. Dominic Duquemin (NSSC)
Northcore U18 Boys
No surprises as to which boys made the final in the Northcore under 18 boys at the cove. In the final however, the boys were given the option to surf either the bowl or the cove as the judges could easily see both breaks and spotters were on hand to ensure no action was missed. Ben Larg was the only boy who opted to surf the more critical break of the bowl and was rewarded for his efforts winning the division ahead of his older club-mate Finn MacDonald who is just back from a year long stint travelling the world. Ben posted excellent and good scores to make up a 14.83pts heat total and Finn’s heat total came in at 7.27pts.
1. Ben Larg (TSC)
2. Finn MacDonald (TSC)
3. Craig McLachlan (NSSC)
4. Hayden Peace (LSC)
Seafoam Open Women
It was a relatively low scoring affair for this year’s Open Women’s division final which was also contested at the cove but Iona McLachlan made the most of the tricky conditions with a heat total of a 7.03pts to pip last years champion Phoebe Strachan by only 0.07 and keep the Women’s trophy in Thurso. Iona’s second wave a well surfed 4.33 with a couple well connected carves back into the pocket, would make the difference and give her the nod in the judges eyes as this year’s Scottish National Champion.
Early round upsets included a first round elimination for George Watt, last year’s runner up as well as younger up and comer’s Andrew Robertson and Finn MacDonald. The bowl would be the venue for the Open Men’s division and the waves were pumping! Bigger than many of the competitors may be used to at this venue as it is usually favoured in smaller swell with more tubing sections on offer but the raw swell served up big faces for carves and turns as well as heavy slabbing sections.
No surprises as to who were the standouts in early rounds as 6x Scottish Champion Chris Noble, 7x Scottish Champion Mark Cameron and reigning Scottish Champion Mark Boyd posted the highest heat totals and progressed through their heats convincingly, Cameron and Boyd winning all of their heats.
Another standout was Andrew MacLeod who had one of the first round’s better scoring waves for a big hack followed by an inside tube which the judges rewarded with a 6.5. Chris Noble posted the highest heat total of the entire day in round 1 with a 15.16 and a high wave score of an 8.33 matched only by Boyd in the final. Boyd and Noble would meet in both the quarter finals and semi finals where Boyd progressed ahead of Noble with double figure heat totals.
Other notable performance was from Doug “the peoples champ” McAlister who made his first ever Open Men’s Final at the Scottish Nationals. Dougie was consistent throughout the day with good wave selection which proved important in the maxing conditions at the bowl.
As the sun was setting at 20:30hrs the Open Men’s final got underway. Boyd got off to an early start and put the pressure on from the outset. Only Cameron would answer back, but Boyd’s last wave, an 8.33 would mean Cameron couldn’t just quite reach Boydie’s score on the last exchange and Mark Boyd would be crowned Scottish National Champion for the second consecutive year with a 14.00pt heat total.
1. Mark Boyd (NSSC)
2. Mark Cameron (BSC)
3. Doug McAlister (NSSC)
4. Chris Noble (NSSC)
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 27: Two-time world champion John John Florence of Hawaii and Courtney Conlogue of the USA win the 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach after winning the final at Bells Beach on April 27, 2019 in Victoria, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Cestari/WSL via Getty Images)
Today in perfect six-to-eight foot Bells Bowl conditions, Courtney Conlogue (USA) and John John Florence (HAW) won the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Stop No. 2 on the 2019 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). After dominating their respective fields in picturesque Bells conditions, Conlogue rang the coveted Bells trophy for her third time, and Florence clinched his first Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach win.
Celebrating its 58th year running and 50 Years of Surfing at Rip Curl, this year’s Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach culminated with what some called the 50-Year Storm; some of the biggest conditions the event has seen since 1981, a test for every competitor in the field, and a show for the crowd to remember.
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 27: 2X World Champion John John Florence of Hawaii advances to the final of the 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach after winning Semi Final Heat 2 at Bells Beach on April 27 , 2019 in Victoria, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Cestari/WSL via Getty Images)
In order to claim his first Bell, John Florence overcame Owen Wright (AUS) in the Round of 16, two-time and reigning WSL World Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA) in the Quarterfinals, 2017 event winner Jordy Smith (ZAF) in the Semifinals, and Brazilian contender Filipe Toledo (BRA) in the Final.
“It’s a surreal feeling to have won this event,” Florence said. “Especially an event like this where we started at Winki with small waves then to how big it was yesterday and then just totally perfect today. There has been so many different faces and challenges and then surfing against Filipe (Toledo) is always pretty scary.”
“This was definitely the most testing Final day of my career,” continued Florence. “From how big it was yesterday to the matchups today, it was really tiring and needed a lot of energy for the two heats yesterday and three heats today. I was just trying to surf my best and focus on myself, and it worked out. I couldn’t have done it without my team and my family. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone in Torquay for letting us surf your waves. It’s been so fun.”
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 27: Courtney Conlogue of USA wins the 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach after winning the final at Bells Beach on April 27, 2019 in Victoria, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Cestari/WSL via Getty Images)
Joining the ranks of three-time Bell ringers today, Conlogue’s path to the podium was not easy – not only did she have to overcome fellow Californian Lakey Peterson (USA) in the Semifinal,but also Malia Manuel (HAW) in the Final. It was the Final heat where Courtney earnt the year’s first Perfect 10 and secured her third win at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
“What an event! I went from being out of rhythm with the ocean to the ocean being in the kind of rhythm I enjoy,” Conlogue said. “I was trying to contain my ‘grom froth’ watching the waves all day. It feels incredible to get another Bell, they’re not easy to come by. Every single Bell has its own special path and journey that got me it and this one was definitely an amazing one to win.”
“The conditions were amazing today and it was great to share the Final with Malia,” continued Conlogue. “It was unreal. She’s been surfing spectacularly this whole competition. When I heard she got an 8-point ride I was like, ‘It’s on’. To come back and post a Perfect 10 felt so amazing. My team means everything and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
It was a year to remember at the 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Congratulations to all of the surfers on facing some of the biggest surf the World Tour has seen in recent years; congratulations to wildcard Jacob Willcox (AUS) on achieving a quarterfinal finish; and congratulations to 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Champions, John John Florence and Courtney Conlogue.
The UK government has advised against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka after recent terrosrist attacks. Most attacks are deemed highly likely.
“Security has been stepped up across the island. A State of Emergency and night-time curfew remain in place. The Sri Lankan authorities have made a number of arrests in relation to the attacks, and security operations are ongoing, including controlled explosions of suspicious packages and vehicles, and temporary evacuations of buildings. However, the extent of any continued threat following the 21 April attacks remains unclear. On 24 April 2019, the Sri Lanka police issued a warning that mosques may be targeted by attacks, specifying ‘Aulia’ Mosques connected with the ‘burial sites of Muslim Saints’.
If you’re in Sri Lanka, you should:
remain vigilant, keep up to date with developments and follow the advice of local security authorities and hotel security staff;
keep a low profile, avoid crowded public places, large gatherings (including religious gatherings and places of worship) and any demonstrations. All of the attacks on 21 April were carried out either in places of worship or in places where foreign visitors were affected. Any further attacks may be targeted against similar locations;
avoid travelling during periods of curfew (other than to/from the airport – see below);
keep in touch with family and friends, ensuring they are aware of any plans you may have.”
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 22: 2X World Champion John John Florence of Hawaii advances directly to Round 3 of the 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach after winning Heat 11 of Round 1 at Bells Beach on April 22, 2019 in Victoria, Australia. (Photo by Matt Dunbar/WSL via Getty Images)
After three-consecutive off days, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach continued today with a highly anticipated swell at Winkipop, the event’s backup site. Stop No. 2 on the 2019 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) completed the remaining three heats of men’s Round 1, women’s Round 1, and men’s and women’s Elimination Round 2 in four-to-five foot (1.2 – 1.5 metre) waves.
After causing big upsets as a wildcard on the Gold Coast, Aussie youngster Reef Heazlewood caught the attention of event organizers and was an obvious choice to replace Sebastian Zeitz (HAW), who pulled out of the event for the upcoming birth of his first child. Heazlewood once again made the most of his opportunity, putting on a dynamic performance to take down 2019 CT Rookie Mikey Wright (AUS) and Jesse Mendes (BRA). Heazlewood looked comfortable on the big stage, accruing a two-wave combination of 12.67 (out of a possible 20) to progress. His and Wright’s results eliminated Mendes, who leaves in Equal 33rd place.
“I was actually at home running an event with some groms when the news came through that I’d have a spot in the event,” Heazlewood said. “I rushed to get ready and head to the airport, then my flight got canceled, but I eventually got here so I’m stoked. I have a little bit of experience here at Bells but not a heap. There is definitely a lot of room to grow and learn so I’m really happy to make it through and will hopefully keep making heats.”
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 22: Jeep Leader’ s Jersey Caroline Marks of USA advances directly to Round 3 of the 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach after placing second in Heat 4 of Round 1 at Bells Beach on April 22, 2019 in Victoria, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Cestari/WSL via Getty Images)
Current World No. 1 Caroline Marks (USA) put on a solid display at Winkipop, smashing huge turns on her highly regarded backhand, but surprisingly, it was not enough to win her heat. 2019 CT Rookie Brisa Hennessy (CRI) posted the highest wave score of the women’s event so far, 8.33 (out of a possible 10), taking the win from Marks. Hennessy will move directly into Round 3 where she hopes to take another win and better her result of Equal 9th from Stop No. 1. Marks’ second place will also advance her to Round 3.
“That was a pretty heavy heat, so I was going into it giving it my all and I’m just glad I eventually found some good waves,” Hennessy said. “It’s so special to get underway here at Bells. It was reallycool to hear them play Hells Bells this morning and know I’d be competing. I’m just so happy to be here competing fulltime on the CT and to be competing at such a historical event.”
After a tough Round 3 loss on the Gold Coast, 2019 CT Rookie Soli Bailey (AUS) was close to another dreaded early elimination. The young Byron Bay local was determined to take his first CT heat win and overcome 2018 CT Rookie of the Year Wade Carmichael (AUS) and wildcard Xavier Huxtable (AUS) in their Round 2 matchup. Bailey dominated the heat with a combination of progressive aerial surfing and classic power turns. Bailey moves into Round 3 where he will take on an in-form Conner Coffin (USA).
“It’s all on the line when you’re surfing in those Elimination Round heats,” Bailey said. “I ended up posting a couple of good scores, which was great. After that heat, I was really excited to think about some solid waves coming later in the week but also wanted to stay in the moment and enjoy the feeling of taking a CT heat with some good scores. I’m definitely excited to see what lays ahead with the waves that are on the way.”
2019 CT Rookies Peterson Crisanto (BRA) and Deivid Silva (BRA) also progressed through the Round of 32 as they continue to search for a breakthrough result on their first year on the elite level.
Victoria’s Van Dijk Brings Heat against Peterson and Hareb
n her 10th year of competing at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach (four years as a wildcard), Phillip Island’s Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) hopes to ring the Bell for not only her first time but also as the first Victorian to do so since Gail Couper did in 1976. Today, Van Dijk took a step in the right direction, taking down World Title hopeful Lakey Peterson (USA) and Paige Hareb (NZL) in the opening heat of Round 1. Van Dijk will progress directly into the Round of 16 where she will take on two-time Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach winner Courtney Conlogue (USA).
“I was really trying to control that heat at the end,” Van Dijk said. “I made a bit of a mistake at the end taking an average wave, which could have left the door open for the others but it was all good in the end. Winning this opening round is so important as it gives you a good seed in Round 3, but there are no easy heats on the CT so can’t think too much like that. That keeps it exciting and I’m loving the new format. My first CT was this event years ago and the format was like this so it feels familiar which is good.”
CT Veterans Stamp Authority in Early Rounds
Seven-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) struggled with wave selection against wildcard Kobie Enright (AUS) and Bronte Macaulay (AUS). Gilmore had a slow start to the heat but eventually found her rhythm and posted two solid scores for a heat total of 15.33 (out of a possible 20), the highest combination of the event so far. Gilmore’s win puts her in the Round of 16 where she will again match-up with Enright.
“I get frustrated at Winki because I tend to pick bad waves,” Gilmore said. “I look at waves and think they won’t be good and paddle past them then the ones I choose are worse then I end up in a bad headspace. Halfway through I had to gather myself and just remember that I only need two waves and luckily I got back-to-back decent ones in a short amount of time. ”
After falling to Gilmore and Enright, Macaulay battled back in the last heat of the day, Round 2 Heat 2, to also advance to the next round.
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 22: Coco Ho of Hawaii advances directly to Round 3 of the 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach after winning Heat 2 of Round 1 at Bells Beach on April 22, 2019 in Victoria, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Cestari/WSL via Getty Images)
Coco Ho (HAW) shined in her opening heat at Winkipop with a commanding win over three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) and former Rookie of the Year Keely Andrew (AUS). Ho and Moore will both skip to Round 3 (Round of 16), while Andrew was eliminated from the event.
Owen Wright Advances After Hold at Winki
Owen Wright (AUS) took a vital win in his Elimination Round over Jack Freestone (AUS) and Trials winner Harrison Mann (AUS). Despite Wright and Freestone advancing, the heat saw no shortage of excitement with a heat pause after something was spotted in the lineup, which turned out to be a large plume of seaweed.
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Men’s Round 3 Matchups:
Heat 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Kelly Slater (USA)
Heat 2: Peterson Crisanto (BRA) vs. Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
Heat 3: Conner Coffin (USA) vs. Soli Bailey (AUS)
Heat 4: Michel Bourez (FRA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS)
Heat 5: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Caio Ibelli (BRA)
Heat 6: Mikey Wright (AUS) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW)
Heat 7: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS)
Heat 8: Wade Carmichael (AUS) vs. Deivid Silva (BRA)
Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Reef Heazlewood (AUS)
Heat 10: Willian Cardoso (BRA) vs. Yago Dora (BRA)
Heat 11: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Ricardo Christie (NZL)
Heat 12: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 13: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 14: Ezekiel Lau (HAW) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 15: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 16: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
